Machine for brushing and cleaning leaf-tobacco



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Mode.)

J.VH;,KBSTLR. MACHINE FOR BRUSHING AND CLEANING LEAF TDBAG'GO.

No. 537,159. PatentedApr. 9, 1895.

Q A o 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Mcdel.)

J. H. KESTER. MACHINE FCR BRUSHING AND CLEANING LEAP TOBACCO.

10,537,159 Patented Apr. 9, 1895.

WIWESSES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.) v

. J.H`.KESTER. Y MACHINE FOR ERUSHING AND CLEANING LEAF.` TOBACCO. 10,537,159l

,Patented Apr. '9, 189.5.

m I w n m UNITED STATES' PATENT OFFICE,

JOHN H. KESTER, OF WINSTON, NORTH CAROLINA.

MACHINE FOR BRUSHlNG AND CLEANING LEAF-TOBACCO` SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 537,159, dated April 9, 1895. Application filed-August 3,1894. serial No. 519,402. (No modal.)

drawings, which form a part of this specifilvs cation, and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my machine for brushing and cleaning leaf tobacco.' Fig.Y

2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same,

- on a vertical plane through the middle of the machine; and Fig. 3 is a similar view, illustratingfa modified construction and arrangement of the cleaning brushes.

Like letters of reference designate correspending parts in all the figures.

My invention relates to machines for brushing and cleaning tobacco in the leaf, and consists in the novel construction and combination of parts of a machine of that type as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

On the accompanying three sheets of drawings, the reference-letter A designates the side rails of the machine, which are mounted upon legs, ct a, of suitable height. At one end of these side rails, is a hood B, preferably made of sheet iron, and open at its under-side, b which in connection with the said legs form the frame of the machine.

Mounted in the frame of the machine are two rollers c and c', which support an endless belt or apron C, made of rubber-cloth, canvas or other suitable material, and adapted to travel, with its upper side or surface, in the direction ofthe hood B. An aperture is made in the hood to permit the apron to enter the same, and, within the hood and at the point where the apron turns around roller c is mounted a revolving cylinder brush D, the bristles of which im pinge upon the bristles of another revolving cylinder-brush E, mounted in the hood B a little above and to one side of the brush D; Another pair of revolving cylinder brushes D and E is mounted in the hood B, a little above and Qbliquely to the brushes D and E; and these several revolving brushes are so geared up by means of the outside driving-belt F and driving pulleys d and e and e', that -they will respectively revolve in the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. 2; cylinder brush D revolving slow and its opposite mate E, fast; While of the other pair, brush D revolves fast and its opposite mate E slow.

Beyond the upper pair of revolving brushes E and E is mounted a rotary beater G', con sisting of a cylinder upon the circumference of which a series of parallel triangular slats or strips G is fastened, and 'so geared with the driving belt F, by means of the pulleys h and h, that they will revolve in the direc tion of the arrows, 1I. e., in the same direction as the-adjacent revolving brushes E and Dv', respectively.

Underneath the two pairs of revolving brushes and beaters is located a shakingscreen H, the outer end or tail H of which is bent or defiected so as to project at an obtuse angle through the opening b in the under side of the hood, to which it is connected, on opposite sides, bya swinging-suspension rod I. An oscillatory motion, forward and back, is imparted to the screen H by means of a pitman J, one end of which is articulated to the lower end of the screen-hanger i, while the other end is pivoted. eccentrically to the projecting end of the shaft c of the apron roller c. It follows that when this roller revolves, a reciprocating motion is imparted to the screen, which is suspended from the pivoted hangerst and I (there being one of each of these on each side of the machine).

Opening up into the lower part of the chamber or compartment formed within the hood B, below the inner end of the traveling apron, at about the point where this turns around roller c is a duct or chute K, extending obliquely down to a fan blower L, the fan Z of which is connected by a belt, m to themain drive-wheel M of the machine; and below the projecting and deiected tail H of the screen is located a receptacle N, to receive the siftings or droppings from the screen.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, the manner of using my machine will readily be understood.

The tobacco to be cleaned is fed, leaf by lea l", to the upper side of the traveling apron C, which conveys it to the first pairof oppositely arranged and oppositely revolving brushes D and E. At this point the tobacco leaves are grasped by the bristles of the lower cylinder brush D, and swirled around between it and the adjacent brush E, during which it is subjected to a thorough brushingr on both sides, due to the unequal speed at which the brushes revolve. As the tobacco leaves, after this partial brushing and scouring process, pass up to and between the second pair of brushes D E', they are subjected to still further brushing, as these brushes, as we have seen, also revolve at uneven speed; thereby thoroughly loosening and removing all dust, mold, and other foreign matter and impurities with which the leaves may be covered on one or both sides. Finally, as they emerge from between the second set of revolving brushes D E', they are struck by the rapidly revolving beaters G' and G, which beat olf the dirt and mold loosened by the brushes and deflect the cleaned leaves in a downward direction, so that they will fall upon the reciprocating screen H. Here the loosened dirt and dust is sifted olf and falls through the shaking screen down into the receptacle N, while the now thoroughly cleaned tobacco leaves are dropped over the deflected tail-end Hoi' the screen, down into a basket or other suitable receptacle (not shown) placed on the floor to receive them. The fine dust is drawn from the brushing chamber within the hood, through the screen, by means of the dust-chute K, and exhaust fan L Z, as shown by the arrows, and discharged through the outlet L in the fanchamber.

Instead of passing the tobacco leaves between two pairs of revolving brushes, a single pair of revolving bruslraprons, D and E,

passing over rollers K, K and L, L', may be used without departing from the spirit of my invention, as illustrated in Fig. 3, Sheet 3. These endless bristle-aprons are suspended between and revolve with and around the rollers K and K and L, and L', respectively; the brushes or bristles of one apron impinging upon those of the other, as shown more clearly on the drawings. Where that modification is used, the rollers of the respective aprons should be so geared or adjusted, with reference to one another, that one apron will travel faster or at greater' speed than the other, in order to effect the proper brushing and scouring on both sides of the leaves as they pass upward between the obliquely arranged pair of brushing aprons. The location and arrangement of the revolving beaters, shaking screen. and other parts of the machine, remain precisely the same as where cylinder brushes are employed instead of endless brushing aprons.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, Iclaiin and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- The combination, in a machine for cleaning leat tobacco, of the endless feeding apron; the rollers around which said apron passes, the oppositely revolving brushes, located above and at one side of the rear roller, and rotating at different speeds; the rotary beaters located in rear of said brushes so as to receive and beat the leaves as they leave the brushes; the oscillating shaking screen or sitter; and the dust exhaust and fan, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto aiixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN Il. KESTER.

Witnesses:

BENNETT S. JONES, M. S. DUCKETT. 

